Dean of the Faculty

Phillip Wertheimer ’48 established this chair in physics in 1973 to honor Ansel A. Knowlton [physics 1915–48]. A.A. “Tony” Knowlton taught at Reed from 1915 to 1948. Following his retirement, he remained in Portland until his death in January 1957 at the age of 81. At that time, the Oregon Journal praised him, citing “his peculiar genius of taking ordinary students and making top-flight physicists out of them . . . he had that indefinable something which distinguishes a great teacher from a mere instructor.” In 1947, Knowlton received an unprecedented award for excellence in the teaching of physics from the Research Corporation. In 1951, the American Association of Physics Teachers, an organization for which he served as president in 1942, gave him the Oersted Medal. He was the author of a widely used textbook, General Physics for College Students. Not only was Tony Knowlton universally recognized for his professional abilities, but he was acknowledged as a capable golfer—and was runner-up in 1937 in the Oregon senior championships.

Alison Crocker serves as Reed’s A.A. Knowlton Professor of Physics.

The Amgen/Perlmutter Professorship in Chemical Biology was created by Amgen to honor its former executive vice president Roger Perlmutter ’73. Perlmutter suggested Reed College as the location of this professorship to honor the formative role science education at Reed played in his evolution as a physician and medical researcher. The professorship seeks to honor faculty whose research and teaching occurs at the boundaries of biology and chemistry, the place of healing treatments that have animated Roger Perlmutter's career.

Jay Mellies serves as Reed’s Amgen-Perlmutter Professor of Biology.

The Carl M. Stevens Economics Professorship was created by Laurence Abramson ’80 in 2023 to honor Carl M. Stevens ’42, a longtime Reed College faculty member in economics [1954–90]. After graduating from Reed, Stevens served four years in the U.S. Navy, then earned an MA and PhD from Harvard. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral science at Yale University before joining the Reed faculty in 1954. Throughout his career he served on technical advisory groups for the U.S. Agency for International Development, as a consultant to the World Health Organization in Geneva, and as a member of the National Advisory Health Manpower Council of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, in addition to leadership roles in professional organizations. He published numerous articles and reports related to public health, health economics, and his work as a consultant for the international community.

Abramson completed Reed with a degree in economics in 1980, and secured an MBA at the University of Chicago with a focus on finance and health administration. After building a career in healthcare administration, Abramson moved into consulting and later founded the Abramson Group, a consultancy that advises health care services clients.

To reflect Stevens’s historic interests and Abramson’s work, the professorship will be awarded, when possible, to a professor with one or more of the following areas of expertise: 1) the Economics of Healthcare, 2) Labor Economics, 3) Finance, and/or 4) Development Economics.

Cornelia Pierce is credited with laying the foundations of library services in Oregon. A native of Iowa who got her training in Illinois and Wisconsin, she was Oregon's first state librarian and served for 24 years. She then married the Democratic governor of Oregon, Walter Pierce, and served as his secretary in Washington, DC, when he was elected to the House of Representatives. When Mrs. Pierce died, she left a substantial legacy that created the Cornelia Marvin Pierce Professorship in honor of her husband, who died in 1953. There is a Cornelia Marvin Pierce Memorial Room in the library. Mrs. Pierce also bequeathed funds to Reed for a committee to complete and publish the memoirs of her husband and to Eastern Oregon College of Education for financial aid.

Jacqueline Dirks ’82 serves as Reed’s Cornelia Marvin Pierce Professor of History and Humanities.

The Daniel B. Greenberg Professorship in Environmental Studies was created in 2021 in memory of Daniel “Dan” B. Greenberg ’62. Greenberg served on Reed's board of trustees for more than 45 years and oversaw growth and transformation in every area of college operations. A Reed Magazine article memorializing Greenberg described him as a titan for the college. His philanthropic leadership in collaboration with his wife, Susan Steinhauser, was instrumental to several essential initiatives, including the launch of the environmental studies program. This chair will support generations of talented teacher-scholars in this important field of endeavor and further Greenberg's remarkable legacy at Reed.  

Chris Koski serves as Reed’s Daniel B. Greenberg Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies.

Inspired by Reed literature professors such as Lloyd J. Reynolds [English 1929–69], best-selling fantasy author David Eddings ’54 created the David Eddings Professorship in English Literature in 2009 with a bequest. Eddings’ gift also established the David Eddings Scholarship for students majoring in English or foreign languages, provided support to the Eric V. Hauser Memorial Library to assist in the maintenance of his donated manuscripts and materials, and supported the college endowment. Said the self-effacing fantasy author in a 1997 interview with Reed magazine, “After [my readers] have finished with me and I don't challenge them any more, they can move on to somebody important like Homer or Milton.”

Nathalia King serves as Reed’s David Eddings Professor of English and Humanities.

This chair was established by David W. Brauer ’83, who majored in physics. After leaving Reed, he moved to Japan, where he co-founded the company Paltek, which imports and distributes the semiconductors typically used in large telecom and networking equipment. The firm, which employs over 200 people, went public in Japan in July 1998. Brauer wrote to the first recipient, Robert Reynolds [physics 1963–2002, 2006–08], “I hope that on those occasions when it is appropriate to mention the chair, you will tell your students and future colleagues about one of your students who felt so strongly about Reed and the physics department as to use his first major act of philanthropy to name the chair.”

Lucas Illing serves as Reed’s David W. Brauer Professor of Physics.

The fund was initially established with many smaller gifts on behalf of Arthur F. Scott. Originally, the endowment supported “Scotty's” scholarly activities following his retirement in 1965. Arthur F. Scott was a Reed chemistry professor from 1923–1926. Later, he taught at the Rice Institute, returned to teach at Reed in 1937, and was department chair until he retired in 1965. In 1968, he raised $300,000 through private sources to build the Reed Reactor. Scott briefly served as president of Reed, from 1942 to 1945. In 1977, Reed honored him with the Vollum Award for Distinguished Accomplishment in Science and Technology. The chemistry building was named for Scott after he died.

Kelly Chacón serves as Reed’s Arthur F. Scott Associate Professor of Chemistry.

The Dr. Lester B. Lave Professorship in Economics was established in 2011 with a bequest. “You can try to change the entire world a small amount, or a small part of the world greatly,” Lester Lave ’60 once said. “I think the latter is more beneficial.” An economist whose visionary approach to energy and pollution issues secured his international renown, Lave passed away in 2011. His gift of more than $2.5 million to the economics department benefitted a discipline that was rapidly growing at Reed at the time the gift was made. 

Denise Hare serves as Reed’s Dr. Lester B. Lave Professor of Economics.

The Elizabeth C. Ducey Professorship in Asian Studies was established in 1985 with what was then the largest annuity trust in the college's history. The chair was created with the broad purpose of supporting academic efforts in Asian or Pacific Rim studies. Elizabeth Ducey, a graduate of Smith College, had a longtime interest in Reed College. Once a staff assistant to Senator Richard Neuberger of Oregon, she pursued progressive policy and social issues throughout her life. She also made substantial gifts to Reed in the 1960s and 70s for the purpose of helping students become involved in public affairs and public policy analysis. 

Charlene Makley serves as Reed’s Elizabeth C. Ducey Professor of Anthropology.

The original announcement creating the F.L. Griffin Professorship of Mathematics in 1956 stated: “To honor Dr. Griffin and to fulfill a great need at Reed College, the professorship has been established to provide a specific endowment, the income from which will be used to cover the salary of a distinguished professor of mathematics.” This chair was augmented with many small gifts and a few larger contributions over the decades following 1956. Frank L. Griffin was the first faculty member selected to teach at Reed. William Trufant Foster, the first Reed president, hired him away from Williams College in 1911. Griffin taught mathematics at Reed until 1952, returning in 1954 to serve as Reed president for two years. He was a renowned instructor in his field and the author of seven textbooks.

Angélica M. Osorno serves as Reed’s F.L. Griffin Associate Professor of Mathematics.

The George A. Hay Economics Professorship was established in 1989. Richard Wollenberg ’75, Reed trustee, pledged a significant gift if Reed could secure the remainder to establish the chair in memory of George A. Hay [economics 1956–83]. The Hay Steering Committee raised a total of 137 gifts to endow the fund. George A. Hay received his PhD from M.I.T. in 1956 and joined Reed faculty that year as a professor of economics. He was director of admissions from 1958 to 1964, vice president and treasurer 1973–79, executive vice president 1979–80, and acting president 1980–81. His work took him to places such as Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Peru, and Indonesia, and this firsthand knowledge of diverse economies gave him a powerful edge in his undergraduate instruction. 

Jon Rork serves as Reed’s George A. Hay Professor of Economics.

Howard Vollum was born in May 1913 in Portland and graduated from Reed with a BA in physics in 1936. He helped found the company Tektronix, Inc., which has become the foremost manufacturer of precision oscilloscopes in the world. He died in February 1986. There are several funds carrying the Vollum name, demonstrating his impact across Reed. These include: 1) Vollum Science Chair, 2) C. Howard Vollum Memorial Scholarship, 3) Vollum Funds for Entertaining, 4) Vollum Teaching Equipment Fund, 5) Vollum Science Award, and 6) Vollum Funds for Faculty Research.

Sarah Schaack serves as Reed’s Howard Vollum Professor of Biology.

The James A. Borders Professorship of Physics was created by James A. Borders ’63 and Deborah A. Borders. This chair memorializes Jim Borders, recognizing his achievements as a physicist and the role that Reed played in his intellectual life. After graduating from Reed, Borders earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Illinois. He had a distinguished 27-year career at Sandia National Laboratory, where he worked on projects related to nuclear weapons development, including energetic ion analysis of materials. In addition to this chair, Jim and Deborah Borders generously supported Reed students through the James Borders Physics Research Fellowship and the Kenneth E. Davis Scholarship, which honors his thesis adviser.

Joel Franklin ’97 serves as Reed’s James A. Borders Professor of Physics.

Norman LeRoy Yeon ’37 contributed an estate gift to support the humanities at Reed in memory of his parents, Jon B. and Elizabeth M. Yeon. Norm Yeon, a private man and a lover of fine art, classical music, and nature, earned his bachelor’s degree in literature from Reed College in 1937. He pursued graduate studies in fine arts at the Sorbonne and in sociology at Columbia University. After serving in the US Army Signal Corps in World War II, he returned to Portland and opened Crossroads, a boutique featuring artistic works he selected in Europe and India. He eventually closed the business and moved to San Francisco, pursuing an interest in real estate. Yeon’s estate gift, along with his substantial gifts to Reed College’s annual fund, seats him firmly in a family tradition of philanthropy. His mother’s family gave land to the Congregation of the Holy Cross, which established what is now the University of Portland. His father, a lumber magnate and civic figure, oversaw construction of the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway and built the Yeon Building in downtown Portland.

Elizabeth Drumm serves as Reed’s John and Elizabeth Yeon Professor of Spanish and Humanities.

This chair was created by Matthew P. Bergman ’86, former Reed trustee and the founder and a managing partner of the law firm Bergman Draper Oslund Udo. This chair is awarded with first preference to a faculty member within the Division of History and the Social Sciences, with further preference to a faculty member with a specialty in innovative social science methodology and theoretically based empirical social research. The professorship, and its first awarding preference, is intended to honor the career and specialty of John C. Pock [sociology 1955–98], emeritus professor of sociology at Reed College and Matt Bergman's former teacher and collaborator.

Marc Schneiberg serves as Reed’s John C. Pock Professor of Sociology.

This professorship was established in 1981 with a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The foundation made 25 grants to liberal arts colleges and universities that year totaling $15.6 million. The purpose of the grant was to bring new and promising faculty members to the institution.

Ann Delehanty serves as Reed’s John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of French and Humanities.

The Joshua C. Taylor Professorship in Art History and Humanities was designated as part of the Cooley-Gray Art Department Endowment. Joshua C. Taylor ’39, preeminent scholar with a flair for teaching, served as director of the National Collection of Fine Arts (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum) in Washington, DC, transforming it into a dynamic center of intellectual ferment. He inspired thousands of students to deepen their connection with art, and wrote a bestseller on art criticism that influenced a generation. “The mind and life of man is characterized not by progress but by accumulation,” Taylor once said. “That knowledge is an ever-widening circle, not a path. Thus the past preserved exists not as a memory, but as a present, palpable reality.”

Dana E. Katz serves as Reed’s Joshua C. Taylor Professor of Art History and Humanities.

The Judith Tyle Massee Professorship of Dance, known informally as the Judy Massee Chair, was created in 2020. Memorializing Judith Tyle Massee, beloved professor of dance [1968–98], this chair also recognizes the longstanding importance of dance at Reed and its role in the liberal arts. Following in the tradition of Professor Massee, the anonymous donors have been champions of the performing arts at Reed. This included supporting the construction of the Performing Arts Building, which brought the music, dance, and theatre departments together under one roof and anchored the launch of the dance major.

Carla Mann ’81 serves as Reed’s Judy Massee Professor of Dance.

The Katharine Piggott Professorship in Mathematics was created by Reed Koch ’82 with a match from the Gray Alumni Challenge. Katharine Piggott ’15 was the first woman to graduate from Reed with a BA in mathematics. She became interested in mathematics during her first year at Reed and did her major work under Frank Loxley Griffin [mathematics 1911–52]. She was born on November 12, 1890, and died on December 3, 1963.

James Pommersheim serves as Reed’s Katharine Piggott Professor of Mathematics.

Professor Laurens N. Ruben [biology 1955–92] had an international reputation for his work as an immunologist and for his research in immune deficiencies. His father, electrochemist Samuel Ruben, made the donation to endow the chair in his son's name. Samuel invented the dry electrolytic condenser, which is used in almost every automobile starting system. He was also responsible for at least 300 other patented inventions, including the alkaline battery. He died in 1988, survived by his wife, Rena Kock Ruben, and his son, Laurens.

Keith Karoly serves as Reed’s Laurens N. Ruben Professor of Biology.

Margaret Oakley Dayhoff was a biochemist and bioinformatics trailblazer whose work laid the foundation for modern computational biology. Renowned for developing innovative methods to analyze protein and nucleic acid sequences, she played a crucial role in the early use of computers to study molecular evolution. Dayhoff is perhaps best known for creating the first comprehensive protein sequence database and developing the one-letter amino acid code still used today. Her contributions revolutionized the field, enabling scientists to compare genetic information across species and advancing our understanding of evolutionary biology. This professorship was created by a group of generous donors and is named in Dayhoff's honor to recognize her lasting impact on science while supporting continued excellence in research and education.

Anna Ritz serves as Reed’s Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Associate Professor of Bioinformatics.

Created with a $3 million gift by an anonymous donor, this chair memorializes the career of Professor Maggie Geselbracht [chemistry 1993–2014]. Geselbracht joined the chemistry department in 1993 as the only female chemist, and ultimately became the first woman to be tenured in the department. She touched many students’ lives through her courses in general and inorganic chemistry and her research. The Geselbracht Chair honors an inspiring teacher, committed mentor, and exceptional researcher.

Miriam Bowring serves as Reed’s Margret Geselbracht Associate Professor of Chemistry.

Moe and Izetta Tonkon established this professorship in 1988, and the college named it in their honor in 1990. Moe served as an active member of the board of trustees from 1951 to 1966 and as its chairman from 1960 to 1963. He assumed emeritus status in 1966, a position he held until his death in 1984. Born in Russia, Moe attended Reed from 1924 to 1926 and went on to graduate from Northwestern School of Law. He founded one of Portland's largest and most prestigious law firms, Tonkon Torp LLP, and he was the first Jewish member of the Arlington Club, University Club, and Waverly Country Club in Portland. He considered the pursuit of excellence at Reed College to be an end in itself. Izetta played an active role in advancing the philanthropic priorities that she shared with her husband. She attended the University of Washington, where she studied the fine arts. After marrying in 1948, Izetta was a homemaker and lived in Portland for more than 50 years.

Katja Garloff serves as Reed’s Moe and Izetta Tonkon Professor of Judaic Studies and Humanities.

Omar F. Hoskins ’35 established the Omar and Althea Dwyer Hoskins Professorship in Classical Studies in 1987. This professorship seeks to honor a faculty member who has demonstrated an unquestioned excellence as a teacher. In particular, Hoskins specified that the holder of the Hoskins Professorship of Classical Studies should be well-versed and learned in Greek and Latin.

Ellen Millender serves as Reed’s Omar and Althea Hoskins Professor of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Humanities.

The Patricia and Clifford Lunneborg Professorship of Psychology was established in 2010 with a bequest. Cliff Lunneborg attended Reed College for two years before transferring to the University of Washington, where he earned a BS, MS, and PhD in psychology. He married Patricia Wells, a fellow graduate student. In 1962, he joined the psychology department at the University of Washington, adding a joint appointment in the department of statistics in 1979. Cliff wrote well over 100 articles and completed four textbooks. He stated in 2004 that a Reed education introduced him to intellectual life and provided him sufficient confidence to pursue a career in academia. His classmates, who were “lively, curious, and demanding,” remained a continuing source of inspiration to the end of his life. Over the years, Pat became a widely published academic who taught field courses on careers in psychology. She served as a professor in the University of Washington’s department of psychology where she introduced a women's studies program, a pioneering effort. Following her retirement from UW, she began to write books that focused on men and women and the choices they make in life and work. Pat also had a special interest in the work of women police.

Kathy Oleson serves as Reed’s Patricia and Clifford Lunneborg Professor of Psychology.

The Reginald F. Arragon Professorship in the Humanities was created by James C. March ’77 and Melissa March. After attending Reed, March studied the economics of information at Stanford University. He went on to found WJM technologies, a company that developed tools to detect bank fraud. This chair memorializes Rex Arragon, a beloved professor of history and the humanities at Reed College [1923–74].

Jan Mieszkowski serves as Reed’s Reginald F. Arragon Professor of German and Humanities.

Established with anonymous support in 2015, this chair reflects a fundraising effort to celebrate Richard Crandall’s legacy on campus as well as his career as an intellectual visionary, polymath, and true academic. Professor Richard E. Crandall ’69 [physics 1978–2012] was a professor, a physicist, a computer scientist, and an inventor with a wide scope of intellectual accomplishments. From the rings of Saturn to the hunt for prime numbers to the circuitry of the iPhone, there was no limit to his curiosity—or to his appetite for discovery. He held 11 patents, authored six books, and wrote scores of scholarly articles on a vast range of subjects, but his signal achievements lay in experimental mathematics—an emerging field he helped to define.

James D. Fix serves as Reed’s Richard E. Crandall Professor of Computer Science.

The Richard F. Scholz Professorship in History was first awarded in 1937. Richard Scholz was the second president of Reed College, serving from 1921 until his death in 1924. He organized academic departments into four divisions—literature and language; history and social science; mathematics and natural science; and philosophy, religion, and psychology—to encourage intellectual relationships among the faculty based on common interests. (Later, the arts would become Reed's fifth academic division and linguistics would be added to philosophy, religion, and psychology.) Scholz held a bachelor's and a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin. He was a Rhodes Scholar and built a career as a history professor before joining Reed as president in April 1921.

David Garrett serves as Reed’s Richard F. Scholz Professor of History and Humanities.

This chair was originally established in 1959 by Robert H. and Blanche Day Ellis as a fund to endow visiting lectures in the social and natural sciences. In 1991, their three sons, Henry Day Ellis ’34, Robert H. Ellis Jr. ’37, and Frederick Eugene Ellis Sr. ’38, added to the fund to make it a professorship in memory of their parents, confirming that it was to support research in political philosophy and political economics.

Peter J. Steinberger serves as Reed’s Robert H. and Blanche Day Ellis Professor of Political Science and Humanities.

The Roger M. Perlmutter Professorship in Biological Sciences was created by the Merck Foundation in 2021. This chair honors longtime Reed trustee Roger Perlmutter ’73 on the occasion of his retirement as executive vice president of Merck Research Laboratories. The chair helps anchor instruction in biology at Reed while contributing to the legacy of one of the college’s most important leaders.

Suzy Renn serves as Reed’s Roger M. Perlmutter Professor of Biology.

The Roger M. Perlmutter Professorship in Computer Science and Statistics was established in 2022 by Roger M. Perlmutter ’73, a distinguished immunologist, pharmaceutical executive, and former chairman of the Reed College Board of Trustees. This professorship supports data science, including computer science and statistics, and is part of a broader effort to provide excellent teaching in computational methods across disciplines. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking career—spanning academia, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical research—has shaped fields ranging from immunology to drug development. His leadership and generosity ensure that Reed faculty have the resources to equip students with essential computational skills in an increasingly data-driven world.

Adam Groce serves as Reed’s Roger M. Perlmutter Associate Professor of Computer Science.

The Ronald A. Laing Professorship in Mathematics and Natural Sciences was established in 2023 with an estate gift. The chair honors Ronald A. Laing ’56, professor of ophthalmology and physiology at Boston University School of Medicine and founder of Bio-Optics International. After graduating from Reed with a degree in physics, Laing went on to secure master’s and doctorate degrees from Rice University. Laing was a stalwart supporter of Reed and considered the institution one of his children.

Kara Cerveny serves as Reed’s Ronald A. Laing Professor of Biology.

The R.P. Wollenberg Professorship of Music was created by the Reed College Board of Trustees to honor one of the college's most generous and steadfast leaders. Richard “Dick” Wollenberg, president and CEO of Longview Fibre Company, was a trustee for more than 40 years. He also had a strong interest in music—he played seven instruments and performed with the Southwest Washington Symphony. Wollenberg's son, Richard H. Wollenberg, graduated from Reed in 1975 and joined the board of trustees in 1997.

Mark Burford serves as Reed’s R.P. Wollenberg Professor of Music.

The Ruth C. Greenberg Professorship in American Indian Studies was created with a bequest to Reed from Ruth Greenberg. Ruth was an artist, conchologist, and lifelong traveller who sculpted in wood, traveled by canoe in the South Pacific, and ran the Tidepool Gallery in Malibu. A generous supporter of Reed, she followed the college's proposal to designate this chair. Her husband, Mayer, was trustee of the college from 1971 until his death in 1974. Her son, Daniel B. Greenberg ’62, served on Reed’s board of trustees for 45 years and together with his wife, Susan Steinhauser, left an indelible mark on Reed.

The Stanley H. Cohn Professorship in Economics was created in 2006 by Stanley Cohn ’47. Cohn entered Reed College in 1940, but his education was interrupted in November 1942 when he enlisted in the United States Army during World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and resumed his Reed education that same year. Cohn earned a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1952. He enjoyed a long, productive career as an economist and university professor with a focus on economic development in the Soviet Union. He was professor of economics at the State University of New York at Binghamton and, after retirement, was a visiting professor at Reed.

Noelwah Netusil serves as Reed’s Stanley H. Cohn Professor of Economics.

The Thomas Lamb Eliot Memorial Fund for Religion was established in 1953 by his son, William Greenleaf Eliot II. Thomas Lamb Eliot was the head of the founding board of trustees of Reed College and served as a trustee from 1911 to 1925. Following in his father's footsteps, William Eliot was a Reed trustee from 1925 to 1941. The endowment supports religious interests and studies of the students, faculty, and community of Reed College.

Kristin Scheible serves as Reed’s Thomas Lamb Eliot Professor of Religion and Humanities.

The Thormund A. Miller and Walter Mintz Professorship in Economics was created in 2002. Walter Mintz ’50 and his wife, Sandra, created this professorship with fellow trustee Thormund Miller ’41 and his wife, Hannah. Mintz, a 1950 economics graduate, was a founding partner of the investment firm Cumberland Associates in New York. He was a member of the Reed College Board of Trustees for more than 30 years and was the first Reed graduate to serve as the board chairman. He was also chairman of the Campaign for Reed College, which launched in October 1995. After he died, his wife Sandra succeeded him as a member of the board of trustees and served from 2005 to 2016, including terms on the Executive Committee and the Trustee Campaign Steering Committee for the Centennial Campaign. In 2016, she became a trustee emerita. Miller was an emeritus Reed trustee and a retired vice president, director, and general counsel for Southern Pacific Transportation Co. While stationed in New York during World War II, he met Hannah Alma Flansburg; they were married for 56 years and raised two daughters.

The Walter Mintz Professorship was established in 2005 with many gifts from alumni and friends in memory of Walter Mintz ’50. Mintz was a retired founding partner of the investment firm Cumberland Associates in New York. A member of the board of trustees for more than 30 years, he also served as chairman of the Campaign for Reed College, which launched in October 1995. Mintz, a 1950 graduate in economics, was the first Reed alumnus to become chairman of the board of trustees.

Nigel J. Nicholson serves as Reed’s Walter Mintz Professor of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Humanities.

The William R. Kenan Jr. Professorship was established in 1978 by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust. According to the trust, the chair should support a “scholar-teacher whose enthusiasm for learning, commitment to teaching, and sincere personal interest in students will broaden the learning process and make an effective contribution to [Reed's] undergraduate community.”

Jennifer Corpus serves as Reed’s Kenan Professor of English and Humanities.